Abstract: Inverse search systems and methods operate on identifiers of content items in a corpus such as the World Wide Web In an inverse search, the user submits a query that includes an identifier of a target content item in the corpus and receives information (metadata) about the target content item being returned to the user. Many types of metadata can be returned, including ratings or other metadata related to the target content item obtained from users, popularity data specific to the target content item, information about previously submitted forward search queries that led to the target content item being identified as a hit, and metadata extracted from the target content item.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing an electronic document in a secure manner is provided. A client may verify that the configuration state of a standalone document-processing device has not changed since a prior configuration state by issuing a request to a security server. The security server may process the request to determine whether the configuration state of the standalone document-processing device has changed since the document-processing device was registered with the security server. The security server may also verify that actions performed on the document-processing device. A storage medium of a document-processing device may be protected against unauthorized removal of the storage medium by storing, separate from the storage medium, a password required to access the storage medium, and when the document-processing device is powered on, the password is provided to the storage medium.

Abstract: Methods for transforming queries that contain EXISTS and NOT EXISTS subqueries are provided. The methods provided transform original queries that contain EXISTS and/or NOT EXISTS subqueries in conjunctive or disjunctive combinations into transformed queries that coalesce the original EXISTS and/or NOT EXISTS subqueries into a reduced number of EXISTS and/or NOT EXISTS subqueries, thereby eliminating duplicative table accesses and join operations.

Abstract: Approaches for provisioning phones in packet voice networks are disclosed. One approach includes determining that an Internet Protocol (IP) phone has registered in a network; receiving a unique identifier of the IP phone; receiving identifying information about a user to be associated with the IP phone; determining, based on the information provided, a user identifier; generating a configuration for the IP phone based on the user identifier that includes information such as phone number, feature sets, and other configuration parameters; and providing the configuration to the IP phone. Various approaches for determining a user identifier based on information provided by the user are disclosed.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for managing, within a storage system, the sequence in which I/O requests are processed by the storage system based, at least in part, on a one or more logical characteristics of the I/O requests. The logical characteristics may include, for example, the identity of the user for whom the I/O request was submitted, the service that submitted the I/O request, the database targeted by the I/O request, an indication of a consumer group to which the I/O request maps, the reason why the I/O request was issued, a priority category of the I/O request, etc. Techniques are also provided for automatically establishing a scheduling policy within a storage system, and for dynamically changing the scheduling policy in response to changes in workload.

Abstract: A system for distributing printed documents comprises print device logic comprising a Web Services server, wherein the print device logic is configured to send one or more Web Services messages that indicate attributes of a print device; sender print manager logic comprising a first Web Services client that is coupled over a network to the printer logic; wherein the sender print manager logic is configured to store the attributes, to request print history information from the print device, to determine one or more preferred print devices for one or more users based on the print history information, and to store a mapping of identifiers of the users in association with identifiers of the preferred print devices; wherein the sender print manager logic is configured to select one or more of the preferred print devices based on the mapping, and to initiate one or more print jobs to print a document on the selected preferred print devices.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recognizing and synchronizing to in-band data at a multimedia device is provided. A content stream includes in-band data. The in-band data is processed and in-band data pattern data associated with the content stream are created. Metadata are attached to the event identification data. The event identification data are provided to multimedia devices which receive broadcasted multimedia content streams containing video programs with in-band data. The in-band data are processed and compared to the event identification data. If a match occurs, the multimedia device uses the metadata to perform specified actions.

Abstract: A cluster console user interface provides a single console control point for a network device cluster comprising a first switch device, a plurality of active routers, one or more standby routers, and a second switch device. Using the cluster console, a network administrator can perform various operations with respect to the cluster as a whole, without knowing identity information for particular network routers serving as active or standby, or for the switch devices.

Abstract: Approaches are disclosed for switching transport protocol connection keys. A method of automatically changing a message authentication key at each of two endpoints of a connection in a telecommunications network comprises testing a date-time value received in each of a plurality of data segments on the connection; and selecting a next message authentication key, from among a plurality of stored message authentication keys, for use in authenticating subsequently received data segments, when the date-time value matches a specified characteristic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for intelligently routing and managing audio signals within an electronic device is disclosed. The routing is responsive to a set of logical and physical policies which are stored in data tables which can be updated as needed.

Abstract: Information regarding a mobile user's context including but not limited to current mobile activity, social relations and associations history, and past mobile, search and browsing history is identified and converted to metadata. Metadata is also applied to content sources delivering content to a search engine or personalized content engine. The metadata is used in part to determine the relative display of content objects delivered to the mobile user as search results or a personalized aggregated information resource, e.g., home page. The user may select information, from one or more entities or search results or as presented to the user in other contexts, to be automatically delivered to the user's home page as a content feed including multiple content objects or content feeds associated with an entity. Information regarding mobile user activity is compiled and used to permit publishers and advertisers to identify target candidates to receive advertisements or marketing materials.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for changing versioned metadata without invalidating cursors is provided. Cursors may be linked to the appropriate version of metadata at execution time as opposed to compilation time, meaning that they do not require recompilation to link to a new version of metadata. A database system maintains compiled code implementing a plan with respect to data items in a data storage space. The compiled code may have been generated in response to receiving a request to perform an operation that may be implemented using the plan. A version of metadata is also maintained. The metadata describes characteristics of the data storage space implicated by the plan. The compiled code is executed. The step of execution comprises binding the compiled code to the version of metadata. A proxy object referenced in the compiled code may facilitate the binding of the compiled code to the appropriate version of metadata.

Abstract: An approach is provided for managing the processing of print data at a printing device based upon available consumable resources. A printing device includes a print process configured to determine consumable resources that are currently available at the printing device. The print process is further configured to determine which print data is to be processed based upon the consumable resources currently available at the printing device and the consumable resources required to completely process each of the print data. Print data that can be completely processed using the currently available consumable resources are selected for processing. The print process may also be configured to cause a notification to be provided to a client device to indicate the consumable resources currently available at a printing device and/or that insufficient consumable resources were available to process particular print data and to recommend other consumable resources to process the particular print data.

Abstract: A multimedia visual progress indication system that provides a cache bar that is overlaid onto the program material or displayed on a dedicated display. A cache bar indicates the length of a recording session or the length of stored program material and expands to the right when material is being recorded. Index and/or bookmark indicators are displayed next to the cache bar. A position indicator moves within the cache bar and tells the user visually where his current position is within the program material. Numeric time or counter mark of the current position is displayed in the vicinity of the cache bar. The trick play bar and its associated components are displayed for a predetermined time period.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the on-demand allocation of segments and creation of metadata for previously-created data storage spaces and partitions are provided. A space is created in a database. As part of this creation process, no segment is allocated for the space. Rather, metadata describing the space sufficiently to allocate the segment in the future is created and maintained by the database. Data is received indicating a new item. Based on the metadata, it is determined that the new item pertains to the space. In response to the determination, a segment is allocated for the space. Additional metadata necessary for normal database operations in relation to the space and newly-allocated segment may also be created at this time. The new item can then be stored in the space.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for discovering polysemous words and classifying polysemous words found in web documents. All document corpi in any natural language have words that have multiple usage contexts or words that have multiple meanings. Semantic analysis is not feasible for classifying all word occurrences in all documents on the web, which contain trillions of words in total. In addition, semantic analysis typically cannot distinguish multiple usages of a given meaning of a given word. In one embodiment of this invention, polysemous words in natural languages can be discovered by analyzing the co-occurrence of other words with the polysemous word in web documents. In one embodiment, the multiple meanings and usages of a polysemous word can be determined by analyzing the co-occurrences of other words with the polysemous word. In one embodiment, overcorrelation tables and three-word correlation tables are generated to analyze the words found in web documents.

Abstract: Techniques for reporting events that occur on a plurality of Web Services (WS)-enabled devices are provided. A service agent executes on a node that is separate from the plurality of WS-enabled devices. The service agent receives an event notification message from a particular device of the plurality of WS-enabled devices. The event notification message indicates an event that occurred on the particular device. In response to receiving the event notification message, the service agent examines a mapping table that maps event types to one or more devices that are to be notified when the corresponding event occurs. The service agent then sends a message about the event to each of the one or more devices.

Abstract: A technique for searching for probable matches in a video surveillance system is disclosed. A new event, such as a face captured in an image set, is matched against other events in a database of events. A similarity score is generated based on the difference between the new event and other events in the database. The similarity score may be weighted by information external to the image sets. Because of limited system resources, an association between a new event and every other event in the system may not be kept. Thus, when searching for probable matches of a particular event, some events that are related to the particular event may not be initially selected. Such events may be associated with an event in a first set of events that are associated with the particular event. Therefore, a second set of events is selected that are associated with the first set of events.